In Movies & TV

'Tis the season to be slashing: Christmas horror flicks abound

As if the thought of a strange bearded man in a red velvet suit carrying out a home invasion wasn't enough to permanently scar your children, Hollywood has placed a ton of twisted Christmas themed horror movies under the tree over the years.

From zombie reindeer and serial killing Santas, to Gremlins and sorority slayers, Christmas 'tis the season to shake in your snow boots.

Here are a few holiday horror flicks that would make even the Abominable Snowman sleep with the lights on.

"Black Christmas" -- This 1974 slasher flick about a killer terrorizing a sorority house on Christmas break's tagline sums it up: "It's beginning to look a lot like ... bloodshed!" When the killer starts making phone calls from -- where else -- inside the house, it becomes a race against time as the local police department tries to come to the rescue. Maybe the fact police get overtime on holidays accounts for their tortuously slow response.

"Christmas Evil" -- Depending on you interpretation of the opening sequence, this movie may or may not be about a kid who cuts his wrists with a snow globe after seeing his dad feel up his mom while wearing a Santa Costume on Christmas Eve and then somehow grows up to kill people who have been naughty with a hatchet or perhaps a nutcracker through the eye. Like I said, they are loose with plot points as Santa is with his hatchet so it's hard to tell what is going on, for instance when an angry mob chases Santa off a riverside cliff his creepy child molester van flies into the night sky. Puzzling to say the least. Originally released under the title "You Better Watch Out," I suggest you better watch it for a good laugh.

"Jack Frost" -- A freak accident helps mutate a murderer on the way to his execution into a snowman who then sets out to kill the Sheriff who arrested him. Not to be confused with the Michael Keaton flick of the same name, this '90s horror comedy is rife with ridiculous puns and perhaps the only snowman sex scene ever committed to celluloid.

"Silent Night, Deadly Night" -- A boy orphaned after his parents are murdered by a thief in Santa suit, and later abused by a nun at the orphanage, grows up and gets a Santa suit. He doesn't take a job at the mall though. Instead he goes about killing the townspeople with guns, switchblades and my personal favorite a Christmas lights hanging. Despite being a pretty standard Christmas slasher flick, its release sparked a huge public outcry by people who prefer their Santas to be a bit less stabby.

"Santa's Slay" -- Starring professional wrestler Bill Goldberg and Bill Paxson's son on "Big Love," this is a silly killer Christmas movie that clearly is not heavy on acting chops. Unfortunately the plot is pretty thin too, with the film based on the premise that Santa is actually Satan's son who lost a bet and had to be good for 1,000 years. But with the time run out Santa decides to start killing people. Yes, this was a movie that got made.

"Child's Play" -- In this Christmas horror film that sunk the "My Buddy" franchise and made you look sideways at your Teddy Ruxpin doll, everyone's favorite red-headed spree-killing doll goes off hard. Serial killer Charles Lee Ray uses a voodoo ritual to store his soul in a "Good Guy Doll" which ends up under the Christmas tree of an unsuspecting family. The doll, Chucky, tells the boy about his evil deeds, and by the time his parents believe him they were already shooting the sequel.

"Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale" -- This 2010 Finnish film is much better looking than the bulk of holiday horror, but the premise is just as bizarre. A group of archeologist uncover Santa's subterranean layer and take him hostage. The creepy looking Santa and his elves start unleashing hell on the nearby townspeople and his captors.

"Dead End" -- When a family on the way to the in-laws on Christmas Eve takes a short cut bad things happen, and I'm not talking about arriving at the in-laws sooner. This psychological thriller makes the case for the worst road trip ever with the family members dropping one by one as they make their way to Grandma's house.

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